


Candy Gram

by Unusual_Raccoon



Series: Lauriver High School AUs [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Day 3 - Gift Exchange, Established Relationship, F/M, Lauriver Holidays 2020, LauriverHolidays2020, Public Display of Affection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:40:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27903115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unusual_Raccoon/pseuds/Unusual_Raccoon
Summary: Day 3 - Opening Presents/Gift Exchange & Sentence Prompt: “Normally I’d say no, but I’m on my 14th candy cane, so why not?”Oliver makes it difficult for Laurel not to kiss him...
Relationships: Earth-2 Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen
Series: Lauriver High School AUs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025764
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	Candy Gram

**Author's Note:**

> This is connected to the previous Lauriver High School AU I wrote, but you don't have to read that one to enjoy this one.

Laurel took her usual seat in her homeroom class, wincing at the cold plastic biting through the mesh of her fishnets. Settling into her seat, she listened as her homeroom teacher took headcount, Mrs. Michaels, or Diggle, whatever she called herself these day called off names like a drill sergeant. Laurel sluggishly lifted her hand at the sound of her name being called, dropping her chin into her palm as she waited for the morning to drag on. It always did, especially in the bothersome stretch of days before Winter Break.

Laurel shifted at the sound of a knock at the door, the ear not occupied with an earbud straining to determine who it was.

"Candy grams!" She heard a chipper voice call from the doorway, Laurel wrinkled her nose at the voice...Dinah Drake. Of course the brunette was involved in every extracurricular and club, apparently including passing out stupid candy canes, exuding far too much energy given the early hour.

"Come on in, girls," Mrs. Michaels greeted with a smile, waving in Dinah and the other students joining her to pass out the candy. In they came, each wearing a festive _stupid_ Santa hat and a wide smile as they read off names and handed out candy. Plugging her other ear with her missing earbud, Laurel slumped down into her seat, letting the music disguise the sound of the people speaking.

A minute or two went by and Laurel vaguely detected a few people crossing through the rows of desks in her peripheral. Turning her attention to her phone, Laurel briefly considered texting Oliver in her boredom, but he hadn't answered any texts this morning - which was pretty out of character...

Jumping at the feeling of a hand, albeit a hesitant one, tapping her shoulder, Laurel whipped her head over her shoulder to glare at the person sitting behind her.

"What?" She hissed, feeling a brief swell of triumph as the younger student practically melted in panic at her sharp stare. Laurel quirked a brow at the shaky index finger pointed to her left. What the hell was the kid pointing at?

Turning in the direction the other student had indicated Laurel nearly leapt up in surprise at the sight of none other than Dinah Drake standing beside her desk. The brunette stared back at her, big hazel eyes made all the more noticeable by the shimmer of eyeshadow on her lids and a fitting shade of red lipstick on her full lips. If not for how much Laurel couldn't stand the girl, she would've noted how irritatingly pretty she looked.

"Oh, fuck," She murmured in a breathless whisper, "Can I help you?" Laurel asked acerbically, even more annoyed by the unwavering smile on the brunette's face. Damn, the least she could do was have the nerve to be insulted.

"Candy grams." Dinah said with a giggle, shaking the bag she held playfully, probably trying to be nice - Laurel hated that.

"I heard," Laurel drawled with a feigned smile, rolling her eyes, "Don't let me stop you." Her smile turned sharp as she stared up at the brunette.

"Well, now that I have your permission," Dinah said playfully, placing a candy cane on Laurel's desk, much to her own surprise. Someone got her a candy cane...

Inspecting the little hook shaped candy, Laurel inspected the green tag, reading her own name jotted in the recipient spot and a little note scrawled in familiar handwriting... _Ollie_. Her cheeks felt warm, a faint smile pulling at her lips, even in the nearly nauseating presence of her nemesis, as she trailed her finger over the little note - _Hey, gorgeous..._

Her attention was soon drawn by the noisy rattle of candy canes, Laurel frowned at the sight of Dinah still standing beside her desk. Laurel rolled her eyes, what was she still doing there? She silently hoped she wasn't expecting a thank you.

Dinah hefted her tote bag filled with candy canes, digging her hand into the bag, pulling out a handful, each with colorful little tags on the sweets. It was all very festive and annoying.

"Someone's popular..." Dinah said, her smile faltering momentarily as she handed them over to Laurel, "These are all for you..."

Laurel stared at the candy in surprise, one was enough - watching in a mixture of horror and embarrassment as the brunette continued to drop handful after handful of candy canes on her desk. She could feel the eyes of other students on her, hell, she was pretty sure even her homeroom teacher was watching as well. It was a mortifying feeling almost comparable to the time her father had the waiters sing happy birthday for her a few years back...

It wasn't really a secret that Laurel and Oliver were dating, even before they made things official, people would never miss an opportunity to ask if they had gotten together or comment on how adorable they were. And Laurel loved her boyfriend...a lot, yet she had no idea dating him would result in well -this, this silly, cheesy sort of couple bullshit they would poke fun at other people for.

Public displays of affection weren't really their wheelhouse, more specifically not hers, but Oliver had never really objected to it either. She'd take a night eating pizza and rocky road ice cream with him, snuggled up on the couch over holding hands and grand gestures.

When Dinah deposited the last candy cane on her desk, Laurel let out a sigh of relief, cheeks aflame, with a dizzying flock of butterflies whipping up a tempest in her belly.

"It's really sweet that Oliver got all of these for you..." Dinah said almost forlornly, and Laurel gave her best attempt a smile, too dazed to bother pretending she was in the mood to tolerate anymore conversation.

"Uh huh." Laurel said, turning her attention back to the pile of candy canes on her desk. She could vaguely hear the scuff of retreating footsteps, they'd handed out all there was to deliver and were thankfully leaving.

"Happy Holidays, girls." Mrs. Michaels said as Dinah and her little helpers left.

Laurel could still feel some eyes on her, this was probably the most excitement they'd had during homeroom since Tommy's failed senior prank. Sorting out her haul, she began to realize each candy cane had a note. Jeez, it wasn't even 9 AM yet and now she had to read? Inspecting the little green tags on each candy cane, Laurel frowned - they didn't make any sense. They felt oddly disjointed, like half thoughts scrawled down. Maybe he had to write something to be able to send them?

Snagging a candy balanced on the corner of her desk, Laurel tilted her head as she inspected the note, it read _'around the corner'_ , what the hell was that supposed to mean? Pushing off the sweet to join the first she had received, Laurel continued sorting through the rest. Pausing as she grabbed another candy cane, her gaze lingering on the tag, frowning as it read _'with the holidays'_.

"With the holidays...with the holidays, what?" Laurel murmured to herself, partly frustrated because somehow Oliver had gotten her to care about something at 9 AM, and partly curious about whatever the hell these notes were supposed to mean. Pushing the candy cane off with the others, Laurel winced as the little tag rubbed against another, the sound of paper on paper usually would've annoyed her if not for the fact that the words from one tag to the other were sort of coherent.

Taking either candy cane in both hands, Laurel felt a strange swell of triumph as her brain seemed to puzzle out a meaning, _'with the holidays - around the corner'_

It was a message, each tag containing a piece of the whole picture, like something out of a romance movie or a mystery, Laurel scoffed to herself. Nonetheless, despite her critique, she couldn't help but give into the little game her boyfriend had arranged. Even as the first period bell rang, Laurel remained invested in her puzzle. She had pulled off the tags from each candy cane, stashing the actual treats in her bag for later. Sorting through the tags as Mrs. Michaels began her history lecture, Laurel began to work out a discernible text.

Her smile widening as it became easier to piece together, eventually her whole desk had become a canvas for her completed puzzle. Sitting back in her seat, Laurel bit down her grin as she read the message from start to finish:

_ 'Hey, gorgeous - with the holidays - around the corner - i figured - i could sweeten - the deal - lord knows a little sugar - wouldn’t kill you - also, don’t hate me - who am i kidding? - you love me - but i asked dinah - to hand them to you - bet you vince - didn’t get her - this many candy canes - anyway - meet me by your locker - after 3rd period - love, your Ollie' _

Laurel smothered her giggle against the sleeve of Oliver's borrowed sweatshirt at the newly pieced together message. Sure, at first it had been a little much, but having sifted through the mess to find his meaning, it was hard not to find it endearing. She could just picture him filling out card after card, hunched over at the little desk in the rotunda where they set up the candy gram station. Her belly all tingly as her gaze lingered on the last card.

Sure enough, Laurel was eager to get through the day, and her surprising surplus of candy canes. As the bell rang, Laurel hopped up from her seat, gathering the sticky mess of candy cane wrappers in her hands, dropping the mass of plastic and residual sugar in her Spanish teacher's trash bin. Swinging the strap of her backpack over her shoulder, the weight thumping against her back as she strode out of the classroom. A half-eaten candy cane held lazily in her grip, at this rate, she'd probably be tasting peppermint until it was _actually_ Christmas.

Crossing into the hallway where her locker resided, squeezing through the throngs of students, Laurel felt her stomach give a flighty squeeze for one of two reasons: her body was shutting down on account of all the sugar she'd consumed...or because her boyfriend was leaning against her locker, looking like a seamless hybrid of an Abercrombie model and a grungy stoner, all 6 feet of him, with his broad shoulders and narrow waist that had yet to fill out. He ruffled his blonde bangs, running his blunt polished nails through them. His blue eyes creasing adorably on account of his charming lopsided grin when he spotted her.

Laurel closed the distance to him, not quite able to hide her smirk as she got close to him. There was a silence that spanned between them, despite the bustle of under and upperclassmen shuffling through the halls.

"Hi." Oliver greeted in that gentle purr, his pretty dimples darkening his cheeks. His smile persisting even as Laurel socked him playfully on the shoulder.

"Ow," He whined, one of his big hands coming up to rub at the spot where she had punched him, "So, I take it you got my message?" He asked with a little hopeful grin.

Laurel snorted a laugh in response, "Yeah, I got your message, you creep." She teased, smiling as his feigned offense where he pretended to collapse against her locker.

"It was supposed to be romantic." He shot back with a laugh.

"I never would've guessed." Laurel said with a playful roll of her eyes. Popping the jagged end of her half-eaten candy cane in her mouth, Laurel sucked briefly on the minty sweet treat. She grinned devilishly at her boyfriend, watching as he tried desperately to avert his gaze from the sight. Crinkling the torn plastic of the wrapper, Laurel pulled the confection from her lips.

"Should I be expecting any more surprises?" Laurel asked with a smirk.

He shrugged his big shoulders, "You might find something in your locker..." He hinted not so subtly, an eager smile on his lips as Laurel nudged him with her elbow to get at the combination lock. Doing the combination with one hand, she felt giddy where could detect Oliver's shadow over her shoulder. Pulling, the lock came undone, allowing her pop open the narrow door of her locker.

Reaching inside, she wasn't sure what to expect, Laurel tensed as her hand brushed over something unfamiliar - leather? Hanging from the small hook in her locker was a jacket that she didn't recall putting there earlier when she swapped out her books. Carefully taking a hold of the jacket, Laurel pulled the garment from the depths of her locker. Holding the pristine leather between her hands, the fluorescent lighting reflected faintly over the black surface, Laurel marveled at the obviously expensive jacket. It was gorgeous with flawless stitching and felt durable despite the softness of the leather.

"Holy shit." She murmured in disbelief, turning her gaze to her boyfriend who lingered off to her side. He wasn't so smug, but there was something knowing in his smile.

"Dad said the ski trip on Christmas is nonnegotiable, and since I won't be here, I figured I'd give you your gift early..." He explained, with that little shy crook of his mouth.

"So, do you like it?" Oliver asked with a hopeful crook of his eyebrows, one of his big hands holding the remnants of her candy cane for her.

"It's incredible..." Laurel exclaimed, noting the way his smile seemed to spread wider in pride.

"How much did it cost?" She found herself asking, a little pout forming as Oliver quickly waved off the question.

"It's not important." Oliver said simply, and Laurel scoffed in response, she knew there was virtually no price tag that could put his family back on rent. Still, she hated the idea of anyone spending exorbitant amounts on her.

"Ollie..." Laurel chided, it was both easy and impossible to forget her boyfriend was a billionaire's son, especially when he did things like this.

"Seriously...you're worth it." He supplied, effectively halting Laurel's argument. Her chest got all warm, and her cheeks got hot when he said stuff like that. Turning the jacket over in her hands, Laurel smiled at the beautifully stitched silhouette of a bird spanning the back of the back of the jacket. The solid black leather was contrasted with a border of yellow.

"A bird?" Laurel asked with a smile.

"Yeah...for my Pretty Bird." He answered, appearing far too pleased with his answer - though Laurel knew there was no way he could be any more pleased than she currently was. They were probably going to be late to their statistics class, but she couldn't be bothered to care about that.

Quickly shimmying out of Oliver's borrowed sweatshirt, tossing it in her locker, much to his amusement. Laurel slipped on the jacket, letting out a dreamy sigh as she was ultimately unsurprised by how perfectly it fit. Taking back her candy cane with a grin, she nibbled briefly at the treat.

"I want to kiss you." Laurel announced, which was a statement that took her boyfriend by surprise, kissing wasn't anything new for them, but like many other signs of affection were shared in private. And while Laurel wasn't keen on the very public school setting where prying eyes could see them, he was making it impossible to resist planting one on him.

She could see his sharp Adam's apple bob, he licked his lips, "Here?" Oliver asked in a little hushed whisper as though she needed a reminder of where they were, god, he was so sweet. Laurel shrugged, the leather of her kick ass jacket moving with her.

“Normally I’d say no, but I’m on my 14th candy cane, so why not?” She teased, grinning as his face lit up with a similarly wide smile. His arms carefully came up around her waist as Laurel leaned up on the tips of her toes, her combat boots providing a little more height in her favor. Finding his lips, plush and warm, accompanied with the gentle scrape of his blonde stubble against her chin.

The few stragglers that were running late seemed to halt in the hall at the sight of them. Her arms looped around his neck as she subtly leaned into him, dizzy when she felt his hands slip cautiously beneath her brand new jacket.

"You taste like peppermint..." Oliver murmured in a dazed exhale, a dreamy smile on his lips as they pulled apart far enough to breathe.

Laurel chuckled, pressing another tingly minty kiss to his warm cheek, "I wonder whose fault that is?"

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a little iffy on my integration of the sentence prompt into the fic, but overall I really enjoyed this one.
> 
> If you enjoyed this fic, please don't hesitate to leave a comment, I love to hear what my readers have to say.


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